Internal-combustion engine.



H. c. CHASE. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H; 0. CRASH. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.11. 1910. RENEWEDJULY 15, 1914.

9 D Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HAMILTON C. CHASE, OF DAYTON, DHIO.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTIQN ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 31915,

Application filedApril 11, 1910, Serial No. 554,824. Renewed July 15, 1914. Serial No. 851,280.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that l, HAMILTON C Cruse, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and The objects of my invention are to provide an improved engine of this class of superior construction and arrangement of parts; to provide in connection therewith an improved rotary valve construction and operation wherein each cylinder has in operative connection therewith, a single rotary valve which regulates both the taking of the charge and the discharge of the products of combustion; to so construct my improved valves as to insure a proper gas and airtit tight contact with the interior of the valve casing; to provide simple and compact means for pperating the valve shaft from the crank shaft of the engine and to roduce other improvements the details which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure l is a view in elevation of my improved engine showing one of the cylinders and the valve casing thereof in section.

. Fig- 2 is a vertical section on line :v-w of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a reduced detail vertical section through one of the cylinders, valve casing and valve showing the relative positions of the valve and piston when the latter is in its home or uppermost position, Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the position of the valve when the piston is starting on its up-stroke, Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the piston has again reached its uppermost position, Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the positions of the parts after a charge has been exploded, the valve in this view, as well as in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 being shown as a solid body, for the sake of convenience in illustration, Fig. 7 is an enlarged central I longitudinal section of one of the valves,

tit

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The engine illustrated herein is of the four-cycle four-cylinder type.

1 represents the crank case, the bottom of which is inclined toward one end and said crank case bottom having a suitable outlet valve 2 at its lowest point. Within the crankcase. is journaled the crankshaft 3,- on one of the outer ends of which is carried a fly wheel 4, the other end of said shaft carrying within a suitable housing 5 which is supported from the end of the crank case, a bevel gear wheel 6.

7 represent the vertically arranged cylinders, which rise from the crank case and within each of these cylinders is provided a.

piston 8 which through the medium of a connecting rod 9 .is connected in the usual manner with the corresponding crank 3 of the crank shaft 3. With the upper end of each of the cylinders 7 is cast or otherwise formed a cylindrical valve casing 10, the outer end of each of the outer valve casings having an end plate 11, as shown. Each of the casings thus formed is provided on opposing sides with' inlet and outlet ports 12 and 13. In the upper end of each of the cylinders, is provided an opening 14 of suitable size. As indicated in the drawing, the valve casingsare arranged so that their ends abut one against the other and thus form a substantially continuous tubular casing across the tops of the cylinders. Extending centrally through the valve.v casings, is a horizontally disposed shaft 15 and upon this shaft is keyed within each of the valve casings, a cylindrical valve 16. Each of these valve bodies 16 is provided with re-- of these balls bear in a race-way formed in an external bearing ring18 which fits within the casing 10. Anti-friction bearings of this type are well known in the mechanical bottom.

arts. One method that may be employed in getting the balls into place is to remove a portion of the side of one of the races and to replace said portion after the balls are in position.

Each of the valves 16 is in the nature of a solid metal body, which is formed with a longitudinal pocket 19. The periphery of the valve body, is also formed at intervals with parallel longitudinal recesses or channels 20, which receive yielding packing vanes or strips 21. Each of these packing members is in the nature of a metallic bar adapted to fit within one of the recesses 20,

said bar having its inner portion split longitudinally from its ends toward the center of its length, to form bottom or inner side tongues 22, which are inclined downwardly and outwardly, as shown, these tongues or the outer portions thereof bearing in the bottom of the recess 20 and normally producing a slightelevation of the central portion of the packing member from said recess It will be understood that the packing members are formed of substantially resilient material, to permit of the tongues 22 being pressed downward to horizontal positions and to cause their return to the positions shown in Fig. 7 of the drawing, when the pressure is released.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced in the provision and maintenance of an adequate sealing device for sealing the valve, which means, in effect, preventing the passage of the gases around the periphery of the valve within the casing. It will be readily understood that in a valve of this type, it is undesirable to provide too tight a fit because of the resulting friction. Consequently, endeavors have been made in the past to overcome this difiiculty by utilizing vanes pressed into position by leaf springs, upon which said vanes rest when in their grooves. The trouble has been that these leaf springs, being subject to a comparatively high degree of heat, would shortly lose their temper and fail to perform the functions for which they were designed. Therefore, though these spring pressed vanes have been more or less useful in steam engines, where they are only subjected to a little over 200 degrees of heat, they have been utterly ineflicient in an internal combustion engine, where the heat which reaches the most remote part of the vanes and their springs, isapproximately 600 degrees. Therefore, my invention aims to overcome this tendency of the springs to lose temper and effects these results by a rigid mounting of the springs upon the vanes. It is even more desirable to form the spring integrally with the vanes, since this integral formation greatly lengthens the durability and resili ent life of the spring element formed. It will be also understood, that the valves are so arranged upon the shaft 15 as to bring the pockets 19 of two adjoining valves into positions at right angles with each other, or so that when the pocket of one of the adjoining valves is in the bottom or lower side of the valve, the pocket of the next adjacent valve will be at a higher point on one side thereof.

One of the outer ends of the valve shaft carries a bevel gear wheel 23, which gears with a bevel pinion 24 on the upper end of a vertical shaft 25, the lower end of which carries a bevel gear wheel 26 which meshes with the bevel wheel 6 within the casing 5. The wheels 23 and 24 are also contained in the housing or casing 27 which is carried by one of the end plates 11. On each side of the engine is provided a manifold such as are indicated at 28 and 29, the arms of the manifold 28 leading to the ports 12 of the valve casings and the arms of the manifold 29 leading from the ports 13.

For the sake of clearness in description, I will describe the operation of the valve and piston of but one cylinder, assuming that the piston and valve are in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing. When in this position, at the initial downward movement of the piston, the valve 16 is turned until the inlet port 12 is in com- 9 munication with the valve pocket 19 and the outlet or exhaust port 13, is closed. As the piston moves downward, a charge of explosive mixture is drawn inward through the port 12 to the pocket 19 and thence through the opening 14 to the upper end of the cylinder. Owing to the connection heretofore described, between the crank shaft and valve shaft, when the piston has reached the lower limit or the point indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the valve will have been turned, as shown, so as to close the opening 14 and retain the exhaust opening closed. As the piston is moved upward again to the position indicated in Fig. 5 it will be observed that the valve is in a position to close the inlet and outlet ports of the casing as well as the opening between the casing and the cylinder, and the charge which is compressed by the upward movement of the piston being fired in the usual manner, the piston is again driven downward until slightly below the position indicated in Fig. 6 of the drawing, with the result that the valve 16 is turned until its pocket is in communication with the exhaust port and with the opening 8. On the next succeeding.up-st1'0ke of the piston, it is obvious that the products of combustion will be forced out through the exhaust port and when the piston reaches its uppermost position, the valve 16 will again be in position to admit of an explosive charge. It will thus be understood that a single valve having a single pocket therein, is adapted to of the drawing,

means? control both the intake and outlet ports of the valve casing and that this operation of the valve is brought about by simple and positive gear connections between the crank shaft and a valve shaft.

, The use of the packing members or vanes 16 constructed as herein described, provides a resilient packing which will be at all times retained in proper contact with the inner surface of the valve casing and at the same time obviates the employment of separate spring elements beneath or on the inner side of the packing members.

It will be observed that the construction of my improved engine and its valve mechanism, is exceedingly simple. and that an engine of this character may be produced at a reasonable cost of manufacture.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that simple and efficient means are herein provided for accomplishing the objects of the invention, but while the elements shown and described are well adapted to serve the purposes for which they are intended, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but includes within its purview such changes as may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim, is-

1. A valve structure for a multiple cylinder engine comprising a casing, a plurality of valves within said casing, a single means for driving said valves, and indi-' vidual anti-friction bearings for said valves.

2. A valve structure comprising a casing, a valve fitting said casing with comparative closeness, one of these elements having grooves therein, and packing strips in the said grooves having spring feet rigid thereon.

3. A valve structure comprising a, casing, a valve fitting said casing with comparative closeness, either of these elements having grooves therein, and packing strips in the said grooves having integral spring feet.

4. A valve structure comprising a casing, a valve fitting said casing with comparative closeness, either of these elements having grooves therein, and packing strips in the said grooves, said packing strips having their lower corners kerfed and bowed to form spring bases.

5. A valve structure comprising a casing having a series of ports, a shaft extending through said casing, a plurality ofcylindrical valves of solid construction mounted on said shaft, and fitting said casing with comparative closeness, and sealing strips with integral spring feet.

6. Valve structure fdr multi-cylinder combustion engines comprising a series of independentabutting casings cooperating with the upper extremities of the cylinders of the said engine, a shaft extending completely through all of said casings, a plurality of valves mounted on said shaft and adapted to rotate therewith each valve comprising a cylindrical member rigidly mounted on said shaft and adapted to completely fill the cooperating casing, .packing strips or vanes mounted for movement] in depressions formed in said valve, and springs formed from said packing strips or vanes, and means whereby said shaft may be rotated.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

P. N. SIGLER, E. G. DENLINGER. 

